Mark 14:70
And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
In the open court of the high priest's palace in the early dark morning while Jesus stood before His examiners, those standing by charged Peter again with being one of Jesus' followers because his Galilean speech revealed his origin and gave him away. The verse records his third and final denial following his earlier denial, while those who held it to be the second place it in the judgment hall. At the accusation he flew into a rage and denied knowing Jesus and being His disciple with an oath and with cursing and swearing, to fully deceive his questioners and hide his allegiance and maintain his lie under pressure. The cock crowed immediately afterward, marking the close of the repeated denials during Jesus' trial. Fear for his life and dread of scorn and ridicule made him a coward in that hour, showing that to disguise faith to avoid suffering or reproach is as truly a denial of the Lord, yet Jesus' sorrowful reproving look pierced Peter's heart more deeply than the mockery of His enemies and brought him to remember the warning, to weep bitterly, to repent and be converted and made ready to strengthen his brethren.
Setting and Denial
The denial took place in the high priest's courtyard, the open court of the palace where Peter sat among soldiers, priests and the multitude while Jesus stood before Annas and the court of Caiaphas. It was in the palace of Caiaphas as officiating high priest, in the early dark morning after Jesus had been hurried there through the streets amid insult and mockery. A little after Peter's earlier denial, those standing by charged him again that surely he was one of Jesus' followers. They knew him because he was a Galilean, and his speech revealed his origin and gave him away.
The renewed charge was pressed by a servant of the high priest who was a near kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, who also claimed to have seen Peter in the garden with Jesus. Peter had drawn attention to himself this second time because, while pretending indifference and trying to talk unconcernedly, he could not restrain expressions of indignation at the abuse heaped upon Jesus. The verse follows his earlier denial and is his third and final denial, though those who counted it within the judgment-hall sequence called it his second denial there. The recognition that could have been an opportunity to confess Jesus became instead another denial.
At the accusation Peter flew into a rage and denied knowing Jesus and being one of His disciples. He denied with an oath, with cursing and swearing, to fully deceive his questioners, to hide his identity and allegiance, to justify the false character he had assumed, and to maintain his lie under pressure. His attempt to hide by joining Jesus' persecutors could not conceal who he was. The cock crowed immediately afterward, the third crow marking the close of the repeated denials during Jesus' trial, though those who called this the second denial spoke of the cock crowing the second time. Peter did not hear it because he was thoroughly intent on carrying out the false character he had assumed.
Jesus heard the denial while enduring a mockery of an examination. That examination brought coarse accusation by His persecutors, sneering questioning by the priest, reviling by the whole assembly, and mockery and insult.
Warning and Repentance
Fear for his own life and safety drove Peter to deny knowing Jesus and to deny belonging to His disciples.
Fear of scorn and ridicule made him a coward when the finger of scorn was pointed at him, though he would have proved a bold and courageous soldier if called to fight for his Master. Even those who do not hesitate to engage in active warfare for the Lord can be driven by the ridicule of enemies to deny their faith. To disguise faith in order to avoid suffering or reproach is as truly and virtually a denial of the Lord as Peter's denial in the judgment hall. Any disciple of Christ in our day who disguises his faith through dread of suffering or reproach denies his Lord in the same way.
Peter placed himself in the way of temptation by associating with those he should have avoided and who ridicule conscience, thus inviting the enemy to tempt him. Such association exposes a person to temptation and leads to words and actions he would otherwise reject and would never have been guilty of under other circumstances. Those who boast of freedom of thought and action and laugh at the scruples of the conscientious who fear to do wrong are Satan's agents to tempt the righteous to ruin. Yet when the righteous yield their faith they are despised by those very tempters.
The denial pierced the Saviour's heart with a keener pang than it was in the power of His enemies to inflict, more deeply than their mockery and accusations. Jesus turned a sorrowful, reproving look upon Peter that brought him to remember Jesus' warning, his own words and boastful promise, and his earlier confidence. His heart was softened, he wept bitterly, repented, and was converted. He was then prepared and ready to strengthen his fellow disciples.